Trails

976 Grassy Ridge Road
Sapphire, NC 28774

GPS: 35.096000, -82.951000

General Park Hours
7am to 9pm

Picnic Areas
8am to 6:30pm

Visitor Center
Monday - Sunday
9am to 5pm

Partial Trail Closure - Auger Hole Trail

A section of the Auger Hole trail is closed to all traffic until further notice due to a massive landslide that has taken out all access not only to the public but to park staff.
The Auger Hole is open from the parking lot at Frozen Creek Entrance to where the Wintergreen trail breaks off Auger Hole Trail to the right. From that point on to Turkeypen Gap, the trail is closed and will remain closed until the trail is fixed.
The trail closure will be lengthy as park staff are evaluating and developing options to resolve the closure. For more information or updates call the park office at (828) 966-9099.

Last updated on: Thursday, May 9, 2019

List of trails

Offering rugged terrain that will challenge any outdoors enthusiast, visitors who traverse the steep, backwoods trails of Gorges State Park will be rewarded with views of dazzling waterfalls or perhaps an encounter with one of the numerous rare species of the park. However, some of the more secluded areas of the park are not recommended for casual hiking.

One of the park’s most popular pathways is the Foothills Trail. Established by Duke Energy, the trail winds along the southern portion of the state park and wraps around Lake Jocassee, where primitive campsites are available. The trailhead is located at the Frozen Creek access area in Rosman on Frozen Creek Road. This area provides parking, picnic areas and trailheads.

Auger Hole Trail

Location: Use the Frozen Creek Access on Frozen Creek Road, in Rosman. This access provides a picnic area and trail head for equestrian, mountain biking, and hiking trails.

Description:

The Auger Hole Trail cuts directly through the heart of the park. Horses and mountain bikes are permitted on the Auger Hole Trail from the Frozen Creek Access to Turkey Pen Gap on the western boundary of Gorges State Park. Horses and mountain bikes are not permitted beyond Turkey Pen Gap. This trail also serves as a connector from Frozen Creek Access to the Foothills Trail. There are two low water crossings that must be waded across along the trail, one at the Toxaway River and one at Bearwallow Creek. Under normal conditions the water level is about knee deep. However, water levels can rise unexpectedly with high rainfall, making these crossings impassable. Downed trees and landslides are another hazard hikers should be aware of. The terrain is steep with thick vegetation on either side of the trail and venturing off-trail in search of waterfalls is not recommended.

Surface: natural surface, gravel

Length:
7.20 miles
one way

Difficulty:
strenuous hike

Blaze:
orange square

Hiking

Biking

Equestrian

Bearwallow Falls Trail

Location: Use the Grassy Ridge Access entrance off of Hwy 281 South, in Sapphire. This trail is accessible from the Bearwallow and White Pines Picnic areas, and via the Visitor Center Connector trail.

Description:

This is a short but strenuous trail to the Upper Bearwallow Falls observation deck.

Surface: gravel

Length:
0.40 miles
one way

Difficulty:
strenuous hike

Blaze:
blue triangle

Hiking

Bearwallow Valley Trail

Description:

This is a short but moderate trail to the Bearwallow Valley observation deck. Depending on the weather, great views of the park and Lake Jocassee are possible.

Surface: natural surface

Length:
0.40 miles
one way

Difficulty:
moderate hike

Blaze:
red triangle

Hiking

Canebrake Trail

Location: The trail head is located at the Frozen Creek Access in Rosman, NC on Frozen Creek Road.

Description:

This trail follows the eastern boundary of the park from Frozen Creek Access to the Foothills Trail. It provides access to the non reservable primitive backpack sites along the Foothills Trail along the northern tip of Lake Jocassee at the Mouth of the Toxaway River.

Surface: natural surface, gravel

Length:
5.00 miles
one way

Difficulty:
strenuous hike

Blaze:
yellow square

Hiking

Foothills Trail

Location: The trailhead is located at the Frozen Creek access area in Rosman on Frozen Creek Road.

Description:

The Foothills Trail is a 76-mile (122 km) National Recreation Trail trail in South and North Carolina, United States, for recreational hiking and backpacking. It extends from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park. It passes through the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Whitewater Falls, and Lake Jocassee. The part of the trail in Gorges State Park travels through the southern back country before it wraps around Lake Jocassee and crosses a long suspension bridge to where primitive campsites are available.

Surface: natural surface

Length:
6.70 miles
one way

Difficulty:
strenuous hike

Blaze:
white slash